Eighteen year old Ivan Jarvis has just been crowned Australian champion 17-plus Men's Tumbler at the Australian Gymnastics Championships in Melbourne and he couldn't be happier.
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It has been a hard climb to the top with set backs and injuries dashing his dreams more than once.
The Wingham High School student first made it to the national titles in 2014 but was injured during the competition. His spirits were momentarily lifted at the time by the success of his friend Daniel Stocks but disappointment soon set in for Ivan and so did fear.
He trained hard for the 2015 championships but a car accident just two weeks before the big competition saw Ivan not only unable to compete, but in recovery and out of action for a number of weeks.
A year on and Ivan knows it was all meant to be. "I wasn't ready," he admits.
Perfecting his moves became a priority, something that could only be achieved through continual repetition of his skills on the tumbling mat. Ivan pushed through to master his skills and gain the confidence to know he could go into a move and finish perfectly.
Ivan cites physical preparedness as well the right mental attitude for his new found success. Essentially he got out of his own way.
"I went in with the attitude to do my best and not to go for the win, I didn't want to stuff it up," he said.
Ivan still suffers from the lower back injury sustained at the 2014 championships and has missed some training sessions as a result. "I'm always aware of it," he said.
As well as the national title Ivan has been awarded a scholarship to attend a prestigious gymnastics school at Ollerup in Denmark for 12 months starting in August.
The timing is perfect to help him work towards achieving his next big goal – a world title.
